Nardur

Capital: Druenel-Hai
Religion: No gods or goddesses are favored by the state. A small number openly worship Seymus, the Lord of Darkness, though some consider their abandonment of the gods in the Shadow War a matter of national shame. Overall, irreligion dominates.
Climate: Subarctic to arctic

Nardur copy

HER PEOPLE

Druen males reach an average height of 5 ft 8 in (1.73 meters), while females stand an average of 5 ft 2.5 in (1.59 meters). Their hair color is black, with no variation. Like other elves, they do not grow beards.

A LAND OF PERPETUAL WINTER…

Of all nations in Varda, perhaps none are as dangerous to humans as Nardur. Nardur’s inhabitants are called druen: Elvish for “people of the night.” Humans also call the druen vampires, or, when they distinguish them from the inhabitants of Sardur, the Ice Vampires (as opposed to the Hill Vampires.)

Nardur is sparsely populated, and over 80% of the land consists of pine forest. It snows most of the year with a very brief summer. There are very few sizeable towns, and the capital city, Druenel-Hai, has about 10,000 inhabitants.

To the east of Nardur is the North Sea, where the druen fish; the soil is too poor and the air is too cold for farming, although they do import some food. To the north lives a tribe of savages known as the Lynx Men; very little is known about them. West of Nardur are endless snowy wastes inhospitable to life.

People often believe the druen’s homeland is Nardur. This is not true; the druen are actually elves who were cursed long ago by the gods. Their fellow elves drove them far into the arctic, where they remain to this day. The druen have long canines and, when feeding on another sentient person’s blood, feel a mind-altering high. The “feast of blood” is considered the druen’s highest pleasure. However, a very few druen follow the Path of Dandrinnas, which allows them to subsist on animal blood rather than sentient blood, which fulfills the desire without the pleasure.

If the land of Nardur is dangerous to elves, it is deadly to humans. In Nardur, humans are often targets and especially desirable as blood-meals. This has led to a large-scale slave trade. The slave route begins in human lands, goes through the non-druen elves, and eventually to Druenel-Hai, where they are sent to various towns and villages.

SIGHTS

  • The Lonely Temple: Home to the Black Zealots, an order of shapeshifting magical adepts, known for their capricious cruelty and enigmatic goals.
  • The Haunted Forest: A forest several miles north of Druenel-Hai. For the first vampire settlers it was a center of religion, a place where an altar was built. Now it is feared as a place of ghosts and tormenting spirits, as well as undead. Wind is constantly blowing through the pines, and some say if you listen closely enough you can hear whispers.

CREATURES

TALES OF NARDUR

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